World’s Leading Climate Scientists: The Climate Crisis is Here and It’s Speeding Up

Friday, September 27, 2013

Contact:

Trey Pollard, Sierra Club, (202) 495-3058

Stockholm, Sweden -- Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- a group that includes some of the world’s foremost scientists -- released its first report in six years, confirming that the effects of climate disruption are accelerating.

Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, released the following statement in response:

“The IPCC determined in their report today that the human-made effects of climate disruption are not only here today, but that they’re also speeding up. Whether we are talking about wildfires, violent storms, rising sea levels, or flooding, the reality is that climate disruption is here, now. The world cannot wait any longer for climate action.

“The U.S. is already making real progress in the fight against climate disruption by reducing America’s dependence on dirty fossil fuels like coal and oil, while boosting clean energy like wind and solar. These are common sense climate solutions that benefit our economy, health and future, but we need to do more to speed the transition to clean energy and keep dirty fossil fuels, including natural gas, where they belong - in the ground.

“The findings in this report confirm that we need the safeguards to curb climate-disrupting carbon pollution from new power plants that the Obama Administration proposed last week. And we cannot stop there. To cement his legacy and protect future generations, President Obama must reject the expansion of dirty fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas -- as well as dangerous nuclear power -- and move full-speed ahead to grow the job-creating clean energy economy.”